Erectable and collapsible drawer receiving cabinet

ABSTRACT

An erectable and collapsible drawer cabinet having a front frame defining a plurality of drawer receiving openings, a rear wall, horizontal partitions hingedly connected to the rear wall and to the front frame, each partition extending to the lower portion of the drawer receiving opening; the front frame, rear wall and hinged partitions being extendible from collapsed form in which the rear wall is adjacent the front frame to a position where the partitions are normal to the rear wall and front frame; and a finishing piece comprising two sidewalls and a top wall and secured to the sides of the rear wall and front frame to rigidify the erected chest.

United States Patent George Allen Strong, Pa. 861,625

2,350,280 5/1944 Holtzman......... 312/261 2,726,129 12/1955 Knapp....

[72] Inventor 7/1957 Jones......

2,801,145 2,600,050 6/1952 DuBoffetaL. 2,805,909 9/1957 Derman........................

[21 Appl. No.

[22] Filed Sept. 29, 1969 [45] Patented July 6, 1971 [73] Assignec Cardinal Container Corp.

Camel, Pa.

Pn'mary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Assistant Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney-Ostrolenk, Faber, Gerb and Soffen [54] ERECTABLE AND COLLAPSIBLE DRAWER ABSTRACT: An erectable and collapsible drawer cabinet having a from frame defining a plurality of drawer receiving openings, a rear wall, horizontal to the rear wall and to the front ing to the lower portion of the drawer recei front frame, rear wall and bin from collapsed form in which the rear wall is front frame to a position where the the rear wall and front frame; and a two sidewalls and a top wall and secured to the sides of the rear wall and front frame to rigidify the erected chest.

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SHEET 2 OF 2 ERECTABLE AND COLLAPSIBLE DRAWER RECEIVING CABINET My invention relates to collapsible furniture and more particularly to a cabinet for a chest of drawers in which a series of horizontal vertically superposed partitions form a support for a plurality of drawers. My invention contemplates that the backwall of the chest of drawers will carry, hingedly connected thereto a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal partitions which, at the forward end, are also hingedly connected to afront frame having a plurality of openings providing for drawer entry. The line of hinged connection of the vertically superposed horizontal partitions is so arranged that each such partition registers with the lower side of the drawer opening in the front frame.

As is well known in shipping furniture of various types including chests of drawers, the shipment entails not merely shipment of the elements but shipment of the cubic space defined by the erected structure so that a relatively light structure may nevertheless be quite expensive to ship and very ex pensive to store since it occupies so much space. In my novel chest of drawers, the entire drawer containing chest may be collapsed in a simple manner, and even the drawers which are to be placed in the unit may themselves individually be collapsed to provide for a very large reduction in the cubic content of the unit when it is shipped and stored thereby reducing shipping charges and greatly reducing storage charges as well at the point of sale or prior to the point of sale; this permits a much greater stock to be kept on hand for the same amount of storage space and a much greater variety in shape, color and size as well.

Therefore, by making the back and the front of the cabinet essentially as the vertical run of a ladder with the drawer supporting partitions acting as the rungs of the ladder and these partitions being hingedly supported to the vertical run both at the rear end and at the open frame front end, the ladder cross section type of structure may readily be folded to a flat condition for shipment and storage.

When the chest is erected the ladder thus formed may be unfolded to an erected position with the drawer supporting partitions extending normal to the rear wall and the front frame and a finishing piece may be placed over the entire structure extending continuously from one side adjacent to the front and rear of the cabinet across the top and down the other side; the securement of this finishing piece to the frame serves rigidly to interconnect the rear wall and the front frame so that they can no longer swing toward each other and the securement of the top portion across the two frames also serves to fumish a rigid interconnection at that point.

By this means therefore a simple structure of ladder type cross section may be formed into a chest for receiving drawers in which a continuous section having three panels defining two sidewalls and a connecting top wall may then be secured between the rear wall and the front frame interengaging with these elements to form a completed finished rigid chest. This finished chest may thereafter be collapsed should it be desired to do so by simply removing the securement meansfrom the three section finishing piece which interengages the same with the rear wall and the frame, thereby pen'nitting simplified collapse.

The primary object of my invention, therefore,is the provision of a simplified cabinet forming a chest of drawers which may be manufactured, stored and shipped in collapsed form and which may nevertheless be readily erected to form a rigid self-supporting and article containing structure.

Another object of my invention is the proyision of such a chest of drawers which may readily be erected into fully assembled condition wherein the essential elements of the chest of drawers comprise a rear wall, a front frame with openings defining drawer receiving sections, a plurality of horizontal platforms vertically superposed hingedly connected between the backwall and the from frame forming in cross section with the backwall and front framj a ladder type of construction which may readily be rotated from a position where the rear wall and the front frame are adjacent to each other to a position where they are remote from each other with the h0rizontal platforms normal thereto; together with additional rigidifying and finishing means comprising a continuous panel defining two sidewalls and a connecting top wall which may readily be secured at the front and rear of the frame in order to complete and rigidify the cabinet.

The foregoing and many other objects of my invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings in which:

FIG. 11 is a view in perspective showing my novel cabinet in fully erected condition;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view partly in perspective showing my novel cabinet in a condition just preceding the final assembly thereof;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the manner in which the horizontal drawer supporting elements are constructed;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the main cabinet section showing the front and rear wall and the hinged horizontal drawer supporting elements therebetween, showing also in dotted lines the fully erected and the fully collapsed condition;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the finishing piece shown at the upper portion of FIG. 2 showing in dotted lines the fully assembled and fully collapsed position of the finishing piece;

FIG. 6 is a view in perspective of the blank for the drawer;

FIG. 7 is a view in perspective showing the drawer of FIGS. ll, 2 and 6 partly assembled;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken on line tl-fi of FIG. 2 showing the arrangement of folded panels for retaining the drawer in position.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, l have here shown my novel cabinet in the fully erected position and, in FIG. 2, in the position just prior to completion of the erecting operation. My novel cabinet comprises a continuous rear wall 11 having an upper finishing member or crosspiece 12 secured thereto in any suitable manner as by adhesive and a lower crosspiece l3 similarly secured thereto. The material of which wall it and other elements of my novel cabinet may be made is preferably double face corrugated board although it is obvious that solid fiber and other types of board may be used therefor. Also it is obvious that with respect to those elements, which are hinged by reason of the use of score lines, that a type of corrugated board or a type of solid fiberboard may be used which may readily be scored for hinging purposes without destroying the function of the board, while other elements of the device which do not require any hinging, may be made of other types of fiberboard where they need not be scored in order to per form the function of my novel device. The crosspieces 12 or 13 may be of any suitable material; in the preferred embodiment, I prefer to make them of wood which is able to provide some reinforcement and is able to receive and hold a screw. The front frame 14 is preferably made of wood or of any other material which can provide appropriate reinforcement and which can receive a screw and is so constructed that it has a pair of horizontal risers 15, 16, a top crosspiece and finishing base 18 and a plurality of horizontal crosspieces 19, 20, 21.

The utilization of three crosspieces 119, 20, 21 will provide as will readily be seen from examination of the drawings for drawer receiving openings 22, 23, M, 25..

Referring now also to FIGS. 3 and 4, as well as FIG. 2, it will be seen that at each of the crosspieces 19, 20, 21 and at the bottom finishing piece 18, there is provided a horizontal platform 26, 27, 2%, 29 consisting preferably of corrugated board having a hinged tab 30, 31, 32, 33 respectively, for each of the horizontal platforms, said plurality of hinged tabs being each secured in any suitable manner in face to face relation with the rear wall 11 as for instance by adhesive. Preferably, each of the hinged tabs 30-33 is connected to its corresponding platform 29 to 26 by a fold line 34, 35, 36, 37 respectively in the main sheet so that each of the horizontal. platforms 26 to 29 is .by reason of the adhesive securement of the tabs 30 to 33 to the backwall 11 hingedly individually secured to the backwall. The front end of each of the horizontal platforms 26 to 29 is led over its respective horizontal reinforcing member 19, 20, 21 and the base 18, folded around the horizontal reinforcement member as shown and adhesively or otherwise secured thereto. As may be seen especially from FIGS. 3 and 4, a score or hinge line 40 is provided at the front end of each of the horizontal support members just adjacent the frame support member 19 to 21 respectively in order to permit the horizontal platforms 26 to 29 to swing with respect to the front frame in the manner shown in FIG. 4. The bottom horizontal platform 26 is similarly led over the bottom crosspiece or finishing member 18 and adhesively secured at the front thereof and may be secured at the bottom thereof. Again the fold line 430 at the front of the platform 26 provides for hinged or swinging operation which may readily be seen in MG. 41.

In addition, since the outer surface of the corrugated board may be finished or covered with a finishing surface to present an ornamental exterior appearance such as a wood grain or other ornamental surface the carrying of the material of the platforms 26 to 29 around the front of the frame members provides for the finishing of the appearance thereof so that the front frame reinforcing crosspieces 17, 18, 21, 2'9 and 19 may obtain a finished appearance whereby the wood or other material forming the essential structure thereof will not be directly visible. Other portions of the front frame including the elements 15, 16, 17 may be appropriately finished either by painting, adhering ornamental material to the surface thereof or in any other suitable manner. In addition fold over tabs (not shown) may be provided for the top finishing piece of FIG. 2 at the front end in order to provide for a finished appearance of the top and side front frame elements.

It will now be seen that in the structure thus far described with respect to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the front frame 14 and the rear wall 11 of the structure can be regarded as two vertical runs of a ladder while the horizontal drawer support members 26 to 29 may be regarded as the rungs of the ladder.

Since the horizontal platforms 26 to 29 are hingedly secured respectively at the rear wall at hinges 34, 35, 36, 37 and at the from frame member at hinges 4111, the ladder structure may be swung from a collapsed position shown by the dotted lines 41 in FIG. 4 to an erected position shown by the dotted lines 42 of FIG. 4 or to the erected position shown in the lower portion of FIG. 2.

Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 5, the top or outer finishing member and the function thereof may readily be seen. The outer finishing member 511 comprises a sidewall 51, an opposite sidewall 52 and a top wall 53, sidewall 51 being connected to the top wall 53 by the hinge line or score line 541 and the sidewall 52 being connected to the top wall 53 by the hinge line or score line 55. As seen in MG. 5, this structural element may be shipped collapsed with the elements folded about the hinged lines 54 and 55 to the collapsed position shown by the arrow 56 or extended to the erected position shown at the top of FIG. 2 and by the arrow 57in FIG. 5.

The erected structure shown at the bottom of FIG. 2 and at arrow 42 of FIG. 4 of the front frame rear wall and drawer supporting shelves may now be maintained in position by placing the member 50 over the structure as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and securing the walls 51 and 52 to the front and rear walls as shown. That is, the front section of each of the walls 51, 52 is provided with openings 69, 61, 62 which openings register respectively with the top frame member 14, one of the crosspieces 20 and the lower frame member 13 at the front and with openings 63 and 64 at the rear which register respectively with the crosspiece 12 at the top of the rear wall and crosspiece 13 at the bottom of the rear wall. Screws 70 or other suitable fastening devices may then be inserted through the openings 60,61, 62, 63, 64 to enter into the wood frame members 17, 20, 18, I2 and 13 respectively and thereby secure the sidewalls 51, 52 to the sidewalls of the erected ladder construction of the bottom of FIG. 2 and of the dotted line portion 42 of FIG. 4 in order to integrate the entire unit and form an erected chest for receiving drawers.

The drawer itself shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 may itself be a collapsible unit of a type which is generally well known in the art. It is provided with a bottom wall 31 having a front flap 82, and a rear flap $3 and side flaps 84 and 85. Each of the side flaps 84 and 85 has a rearwardly extending flap 86 and 87 respectively, and a forward extending flap 88 and 89 respectively. The rear flap 83 has an extension 90 and the front flap 82 has an extension 91. As may be seen from FIGS. 7 and 8, flaps 84 and 85 are first turned normal to the bottom wall 81. Then flaps 86 and 87 at the rear and 88 and 89 at the front are turned in. Thereafter, at the front, flap 82 is turned up and flap 91 is turned over flaps 88 and 89 to encase flaps 88 and 89 between the flaps 62 and 91. Extensions 92 and 93 are provided on the rear flap 90 to register with slots 94 and 95 in the bottom wall 81 to maintain the rear wall in erected position with elements 86 and 87 captured between elements 83 and 90. Similarly tabs 96, 97 engage slots 98 and 99 on the bottom wall 81 to maintain the captured position of flaps 88 and 89 between flaps 82 and 91 thereby maintaining the drawer in erected condition.

If desired an ornamental drawer pull or other drawer moving device 100 may be provided at the front wall 82 of the drawer. Where the drawer pull 100 is provided with a bolt so that nuts may be used to secure the drawer pull to hold it in place, appropriate registering openings may be provided in flaps 82 and 91 extending between the adjacent edges of flaps 88 and 89 to provide means for securing the drawer pull.

Essentially my novel device therefore consists of a ladder type of construction having a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal members with a rear wall and a front frame. The horizontal members are hingedly secured to the rear wall and the front frame in order to permit collapse of the elements to the position shown at arrow 41 of FIG. 4. The entire structure once it is erected to the dotted line position 42 of FIG. 4 or the position shown at the lower end of FIG. 2 may now be integrated by placing the continuous finishing element 50 thereon in the manner already described. This, therefore, provides for simplified shipment of elements in a collapsed condition which will reduce both the shipping cost and the storage area, thereby permitting a larger number of units to be shipped and a larger stock of such units to be maintained at or near the point of sale.

While I have described my invention in connection with a single row of drawers, it will be obvious that a plurality of horizontally adjacent vertically aligned drawers may be used in a similar manner by simply making the platforms 26 to 29 and their corresponding frame elements sufficiently wide so that they may each receive two drawers or so that some of the openings in the frame and the shelves may receive two drawers while others may receive one. It will now also be obvious that the front frame may consist not only of the vertical runs 15 and 16 but an additional run may be added between these two frame elements to provide a drawer defining structure consisting of a plurality of vertical rows horizontally aligned. It will also be obvious that this additional front frame divider need not extend the entire height of the cabinet but may extend say from front frame 17 to front frame 21 or from front frame 19 to front element 18 or may extend between selected vertically adjacent frames thereby providing variations in the arrangement which will provide reinforcement and permit two or more drawers to be inserted on any one horizontal support while one wider drawer is inserted at another horizontal support. It will also be clear that more than one additional vertical frame run may be inserted to provide for two or more than two drawers selectively on each shelf member 26 to 29 and that various vertical frame runs or arrangements between selected ones of the frames 17-2ll, 2120, 20-19, 19-18 may have additional vertical frame members inserted therebetween in order to provide for various completely reinforced drawer receiving arrangements. This does not rule out the utilization of two or more drawers on any one support shelf without necessarily including additional vertical frame members.

Since many variations and modifications of my invention will now be obvious to those skilled in the art, I prefer to be bound, not by the specific disclosures herein contained, but only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An erectable and collapsible drawer receiving cabinet comprising:

a rear wall;

a front frame having at least a pair of vertical risers, a top crosspiece and a plurality of horizontal vertically spaced crosspieces defining a plurality of drawer receiving openings;

a plurality of horizontal drawer supporting shelves;

each shelf being hingedly secured to the rear wall and each shelf being hingedly secured to one of the vertically spaced crosspieces defining a drawer opening;

said rear wall and front frame being movable forward and away from each other while one of the said wall and frame is translatable longitudinally with respect to the other while the drawer supporting shelves rotate at their respective hinged connections to permit collapse and erection of said cabinet;

a top wall and a pair of sidewalls each hingedly secured to the top wall, the top wall being removably placeable on the top of the cabinet defined by the top edge of the rear wall and the top crosspiece of the front frame;

each sidewall being removably attached to the side of the top crosspiece of the front frame and at least one other crosspiece of the front frame and to the edge of the rear wall;

the securement of the top and sidewalls to the sides of the front frame and the edges of the rear wall reinforcing the cabinet and maintaining the erected position thereof.

2. The erectable and collapsible drawer receiving cabinet of claim 1 wherein:

a crosspiece is provided at the bottom of the frame; said crosspiece being vertically extended to form a base. 3. The erectable and collapsible drawer receiving cabinet of claim 1 wherein:

a collapsible drawer is provided for each of the drawer supporting shelves and drawer openings;

the insertion of at least one drawer serving also to maintain the erected position of the cabinet. 

1. An erectable and collapsible drawer receiving cabinet comprising: a rear wall; a front frame having at least a pair of vertical risers, a top crosspiece and a plurality of horizontal vertically spaced crosspieces defining a plurality of drawer receiving openings; a plurality of horizontal drawer supporting shelves; each shelf being hingedly secured to the rear wall and each shelf being hingedly secured to one of the vertically spaced crosspieces defining a drawer opening; said rear wall and front frame being movable forward and away from each other while one of the said wall and frame is translatable longitudinally with respect to the other while the drawer supporting shelves rotate at their respective hinged connections to permit collapse and erection of said cabinet; a top wall and a pair of sidewalls each hingedly secured to the top wall, the top wall being removably placeable on the top of the cabinet defined by the top edge of the rear wall and the top crosspiece of the front frame; each sidewall being removably attached to the side of the top crosspiece of the front frame and at least one other crosspiece of the front frame and to the edge of the rear wall; the securement of the top and sidewalls to the sides of the front frame and the edges of the rear wall reinforcing the cabinet and maintaining the erected position thereof.
 2. The erectable and collapsible drawer rEceiving cabinet of claim 1 wherein: a crosspiece is provided at the bottom of the frame; said crosspiece being vertically extended to form a base.
 3. The erectable and collapsible drawer receiving cabinet of claim 1 wherein: a collapsible drawer is provided for each of the drawer supporting shelves and drawer openings; the insertion of at least one drawer serving also to maintain the erected position of the cabinet. 